1/87 Scale Red Ball Express Dio

[Lee Drennen]

Looking good Paul you’ve put a lot of hard work in this.

 

[minitnkr]

Thanks Lee. Hopefully I'll get it done in 2023.

 

[minitnkr]

About 90tons worth of cargo Steve.
Thanks Andrew.
Congrats on your retirement Dude1, 2 days/wk has worked fine for me & the wife.

 

[minitnkr]

Just noodeling about w/redball ideas after putting away engineers. Deployed AAA & maint./recovery elements. Sacrificed another 5ton tractor(Mini Me donation)for another heavy dolly to use up my M35s & big tankers.

 

[minitnkr]

Recovery elements on standby. Just realized I never finished LaFrance boom rigging.

 

[JR]

Good to see this back Paul, is this because the train has gone and given you back the room ?

 

[minitnkr]

Thank you. Yes indeed Dzohn.

 

[Lee Drennen]

Liking the Dio Paul trucks are nice too

 

[Mini Me]

Nice little compound you've scratched up there and I totally agree with the gardening!

 

[minitnkr]

Feel better now. Putting a hard cab 2 1/2 ton tractor together from scrap box. Initial dry fit & paint done.

 

[Mini Me]

Nice start.....is the cab ROCO or other source?

 

[minitnkr]

Thanks Rick. Cab, headlights & fender/floor from unknown resin source obtained in junk lot from ebey. Very thin & delicate, but correct size.

 

[outrunner]

Great looking dio, love the trees, did you make them yourself?

Andy.

 

[minitnkr]

Yes I did Andy. Sedum armatures soaked in diluted PVA w/ground foam of a couple greens (dark on the bottom & lighter on top) sprinkled on.

 

[Lee Drennen]

Nice updates Paul

 

[minitnkr]

Thank you Lee.
Some further progress. Comparison of unknown source white metal hard cab on semi-scratch 1 1/2 ton GMC, unknown source resin hard cab on modified ROCO 2 1/2 ton GMC tractor, & OOB ROCO 2 1/2 ton cargo hard cab. Very slight differences.

 

[Mini Me]

Nice!........11/2 ton is of interest, can you give me a run down on what was done to accomplish the end result? PM is fine, at your convenience.

 

[minitnkr]

Back in the summer of 2018 I was working some 90mm AT guns for my AI company. In parallel I had come across a couple Heiser resin CCKW352 kits, so I detailed a couple 105s to go w/them as a gun section of a Cannon Company. Since then I acquired a junk lot with a few CCKW352 white metal kit components in it. I was able to construct two CCKW352s from this to tow a couple M10 ammo trailers for the gun section. The remaining parts were not enough to do another CCKW352 so languished in the junk box till the Apache disaster. Needing a diversion, I modified the suspension, shortened the frame, added ROCO mud guards, spare tire/mount & gas tank and voila, an early 1.5ton truck is born. 1st cuppa run-on.

 

[Airborne01]

I have no idea how you work in that scale Paul; even 1/35 produces small parts that are, to say the least, challenging for me! (And you produce such good results to boot!)
Steve

 

[minitnkr]

Thanks, American HO, or 1/87 scale, is what I'm used to Steve. Model railroading for many years before becoming immersed in military modeling. Gardening, structures, assembling vehicles & railroad cars is very similar. Rolling stock end markings (about same size as reg. #s on military vehicles) & detailing locos is much the same.